Apparatus for forming webs of fibrous material



Feb. 4, 1941 0. c. SIMPSON APPARATUS FOR FORMING WEBS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed Dec. 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 1 a E I J 5 0 w 5 5 Z fly w 11 4 4 WK W i a a N, z m 5 g m e E g 4. M @o 2 3 0 Z \4A 5 a w a. a

I l 44 3 E )6 27 A TTORNE KS,

1941- D. c. SIMPSON 2,230,270

APPARATUS FOR- FORMING WEBS OF FIBROUS-MATERIAL Filed Deo 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented F cl). 4, 1941 APPARATUS FOR FORMING WEBS OF FIBROUS MATERIAL Donald 0. Simpson, Newark. Ohio, asslgnor, by

mesne glas Corporation, Delaware assignments, to Owens-gaming Fiber- Toledo, Ohio, a corporation oi Application December 24, 1936, Serial No. 111,463

SOla-lms.

My invention relates to apparatus for use in the manufacture of inorganic fibers and their fabrication into interfelted or matted form.

At the present time inorganic fibrous materials such as glass wool are extensively used for insulation and other purposes. One method of manufacturing such product comprises flowing small streams of the molten material, drawing or attenuating the streams as by means of blowers to the form of fine fibers which are conducted through a conduit or hood, and depositing the fibers on a traveling belt conveyor which moves continuously across the discharge end of the conduit or hood. The accumulating fibers are thus advanced in the form of a continuous mat.

An object of my invention is to provide novel means for adjusting the width of the conduit and thereby adjust the width of the web or mat which is being formed.

A further object of the invention is to provide in combination with the adjustable side walls of the conduit, means for providing a seal between said side walls and the traveling conveyor.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in sectional elevation, showing a sealing element, the section being taken at the line 2-2 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the apparatus taken at the line 33 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view showing a clamp, the section being taken at the line 4-4 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken at the line 5-5 on Fig. 3, showing a clamp; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective, showing a sealing bar and associated parts.

The apparatus herein shown is particularly adapted for making glass wool in loosely matted form. Molten glass is supplied from a furnace tank Ill and fiows continuously in small streams through outlet openings in bushings il provided in the floor of the furnace extension or forehearth I2. Blowers l3 envelop the issuing streams of glass in downwardly directed blasts of steam or other gas by which the streams of viscous glass are drawn and attenuated to fine fibers. The fibers as they are formed are carried rapidly downward by the force of the blast through spouts I l into a conduit or accumulating chamber An endless belt conveyor I6 continuously travels horizontally across the lower open end of the conduit IS. The conveyor is reticulated or of openwork construction to permit the free passage therethrough of the gases from the blowers, 5 thereby facilitating the depositing and felting of the fibers upon the conveyor. A suction chamber ll beneath the conveyor and in register with the conduit l5, facilitates the movement of the gases through the conveyor, the gases being continually 10 exhausted from the chamber l1 and a partial vacuum maintained therein.

The conduit I5 forms a hood overlying the conveyor for confining the fibers and directing them on to the conveyor, and the fibers as they accu- 15 mulate on the conveyor are carried forward to and through a suitable outlet opening in the front wall of the conduit or hood, inthe form of a con-- tinuous mat I8.

The forming hood I5 comprises a vertical front 20 wall 20, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined I rear wall 2| and vertically disposed side walls 22.

The side walls are mounted to swing about pivot rods 23 at their upper ends to permit adjustment of said walls toward and from each other. In this 25 manner the width of the mat l8 which is being formed may be adjustably varied.

Means for holding the side walls 22 in adjusted position, comprise lugs 25 formed on the side walls and extending outwardly therefrom, said lugs ar- 3 ranged to bear against the inner faces of the front and rear walls 20 and 2| respectively. The lugs 25 are formed with arcuate slots 26, concentrio with the pivot rods 23. Clamping bolts 21 extend through said slots and through openings 35 in said front and rear walls. Clamping levers 28, pivoted to said bolts are formed with eccentric heads or cams 29 so that when the clamping levers are swung down, the lugs 25 are clamped against the adjoining walls, holding the side walls 40 in adjusted position. When the clamping levers are swung upward, the side walls of the hood can be swung inward or outwardly to any desired position of adjustment, depending upon the desired width of the web l8.

In order to provide a seal between the lower ends of the walls 22 and conveyor It, the following mechanism is provided. Sealing members 30, herein shown as wooden strips or bars rectangular in cross-section, are positioned at the lower 50 ends of the side walls 22, and bear against the conveyor l6. Said sealing strips are preferably substantially coextensive in length with the lower edges of said side walls 22.

The sealing strips 30 are held in position against the side walls by means of screw rods 32 which are threaded through horizontally disposed ribs or ledges 33 affixed to the side walls. The rods 32 extend downward freely through collars 34 on the sealing strips 30 and into wells 35 in said sealing strips. Coil springs 36 within said wells bear against stops TI. on the rods. The

springs 38 serve to hold the sealing strips against the conveyor belt with a yielding pressures pressure may be adjustably varied by adjusting the screw rods 32 up or down. Said rods are locked in adjusted position by lock nuts 38. Holding plates 40 "secured to the ribs 33 and extending downward therefrom over the outer faces of the sealing strips 30, provide additional means for holding said strips against the side walls of the chute.

Mechanism for adjustingthe sidewalls 22 includes screw-threaded shafts 42 threaded through standards 43 on the frame 44 on which the conveyor is mounted. vThe inner ends of the shafts 42 have swivel connections 45 with the sealing strips 30. V Suilicient play may be provided in the connections 45 to accommodate any slight up and down movement of the sealing bars 30 that may be required to maintain them in contact with the-conveyor belt. Hand cranks 48 are secured to the shafts 42. These cranks include front and rear cranks 46 and 46" (Fig. I) having a, driving connection through sprocket chains #9. It will be seen that with this construction, when the clamping levers 28 are thrown up to release the clamps, the cranks 46' may be rotated to individually adjust the side walls 22 to any deproximity thereto, means for blowing fibers down-' .ehute comprising front, rear and side walls, a

conveyor traveling across the lower end of the chute, the side walls of the chute being pivotally mounted at their upper-edges and laterally adjustable at the lower edges, clamps for holding said side walls in adjusted position and in fixed relation with said front and rear walls to provide an air seal therebetween, and means for adjusting said sidewalls comprising hand cranks. and

screw rods connected to said side walls and actuated by said cranks.

3. The combination of means for flowing streams of molten glass,-blowers for enveloping said streams in ablast of gas and drawing the streams to fine fibers, spouts having their receiving ends in proximity to said blowers through which the fibers are'blown at high speed, a forming hood in register withlthe spouts to receive said fibers, a horizontally traveling foraminous conveyor beneath said hood on which said fibers are continually deposited and matted to form a continuously advancing web, said hood comprising side walls, means for adjusting the side walls laterally of the conveyor for adjusting the width of the web which is being formed, means for.

locking said side walls in adjusted position, sealing means between said side walls and said conveyor comprising sealing strips or bars bearing against thevside walls and against the conveyor,

and extending lengthwise of the latter, means connecting said strips to the side walls for lat eral adjustment with said walls, and springs holding the sealing stripswith a yielding downward pressure against the conveyor.

DONALD C. SIMPSON. 

